Highway-track.



F. J. HARDECKER.

HIGHWAY TRACK.

APPLICATION FILED APR.20. 1915.

1,167,494. Patented Jamll, 1916.

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FRANK J. HARDECKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

HIGHWAY-TRACK.

Application filed April 20, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK J. Hnnnncnea, a citizen of the United States, and residing in the city of New York, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Highway-Tracks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to highway tracks, to serve as an improvement for country roads.

The object of the invention is to provide a cheap and efficient track for vehicles on highways, without the necessity of paving the whole width of the roadway.

A further object of the invention is to prevent the formation of wheel-ruts in the highway and provide a soft path for the hoofs of the draft animals.

Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the arrangements of parts and method of construction, hereinafter described and finally pointed out in the claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming part of these specifications, in which:

Figure I is a plan of a part of one path of the track. Fig. II is a side elevation of Fig. l, in which the portion indicated by the line AA of Fig. I is cut away. Fig. III is a transverse section through a highway, equipped with my highway tracks.

Similar letters of reference signify corresponding parts throughout the various figures.

Referring to Fig. I of the drawings 1 represents a slab or block of cement concrete of rectangular cross section forming an elongated rectangle in plan, the length of this rectangle is approximately four times its width. The thickness of the slab may vary according to the character of the traffic on the road for which the track is intended. and the amount of steel reinforcement used in the slab. The vertical surfaces of sides 2 of the slab are corrugated in such a manner, that a valley 2 on one side of a slab is opposite a hill on the other side. The center of slab l is provided with an aperture 3, preferably of cylindrical shape and extending vertically through the slab, the center of the wall of this aperture is widened into a recess in the concrete block forming the an nular ring or groove 4. The ends 5 of the slab 1, forming the short sides of the rec Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

Serial No. 22,539.

tangle, are provided with segmental apertures 3 similar to the apertures 3 and provided in their middle section with recesses l. These blocks are preferably molded in quantities in a form or machine specially made for this purpose, if desired they may be reinforced by steel rods in the customary manner for the tensile stresses. To provide a highway track they are embedded into the surface of a roadway in two parallel rows, so that the ends 5 of two blocks meet end to end, and that the center distance between the two rows equals the average wheel gage of vehicles; the joints of the two rows are preferably staggered. After the slabs are properly laid and leveled, the ground under the apertures 3 and 3 is removed by digging or compacted by driving a suitably shaped pole into the ground. These holes which preferably reach beneath the frost line, are filled with concrete to form pegs or piles 6 and 7 to fasten the slabs securely to the ground against shifting and upheaval.

The form of the piles may be varied, the piles 6 in the center of each slab are preferably widened near their base to form the anchor part 6 to secure the pile and slab against uplift. The piles 7 which serve principally to connect and aline two slabs are preferably made of conical shape to reduce labor and material. At the lower surface of the slab 1 the diameter of the pile is preferably widened into the rings 6 and 7 to provide additional bearing surface. The annular grooves 4 and 4 serve to fasten the piles to the slabs securing the connection against imperfect bond and to keep piles and slabs in alinement. To provide additional shearing strength for the piles at the lower plane of slabs 1 the reinforcing bars 8 are inserted vertically into the piles.

In Fig. 111 a cross section through both paths of the track is shown. the curved line 9 indicates the surface of the roadway.

In practice this highway track has many advantages, especially for roads with light traffic, which on account of the cost of grading and paving the whole width of the roadway generally remain unimproved, this track provides means to greatly improve the roadway at small expense. The piles serve the purpose of alining the slabs, anchoring them against upheaval, and supporting them at the desired level or grade, although the roadway may not be level, or even washed out in places. On curves one path may be laid higher than the other to provide the required superelevation for vehicles. The corrugated edges serve the purslabs and interlock with the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: j j

1. A track construction for roadways, comprising rows of slabs laid end to end to form two parallel runways for the wheels of a vehicle, said slabs being provided with vertical apertures in their body part, and

semi-apertures in their end SQCiLlOIlS, supportlng piles extending through said apertures into the ground and ali'ning piles between two adjacent slabs, filling the semiapertures. I

2. A highway track comprising two separate, parallel runways for the wheels of a vehicle, each runway consisting of a row 7 of slabs or blocks embedded in the roadway, an aperture extending vertically through the joint of two slabs, a pile or peg built into the ground under each aperture and extending vertically through said aperture to the upper surface of said slabs.

3; A highway track comprising a row of flat slabs or blocks forming a vehicular track, a vertical aperture in the body portion of each slab, awidening in the middle of the mantle of said aperture, a pile formed in the ground beneath and filling the volume of said aperture and itswidening, said widening forming an anchor to hold said pile in said aperture.

4-. A. highway track comprising a row of flat slabs laid with abutting ends to form a vehicular track, a vertical aperture formed at the joint of two adjacent slabs, a part of said aperture falling in each of the two slabs, a horizontal widening in the middle part of the mantle surface of said aperture and its widening to aline said slabs vertically and horizontally.

Signed at New York city, in the county and State of New York, this 19th day of April, 1915. FRANK J,

Witnesses:

WILLiAM A. GILBERT,

J. O. ECKERSLEY.

HARDECKER.

(iopies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

